The Right Choice
by WWESpongefan
Summary: There are many choices in life. If we are not careful we might regret them later because everyone has to make a choice, we hope that it is the right choice. I may have to change the rating from K plus to T, but no higher.
1. Chapter 1

**The Right Choice**

**(Chapter One)**

Spongebob has not been over at Sandy's house for a while; his last visit was not exactly the best…

(Flashback)

It was about two weeks ago, a Friday to be exact. Sandy was talking to Spongebob about how things were back in Texas, she was also putting together some kind of invention so she didn't really notice the love struck look that Spongebob was giving her. Sometimes she just liked to invite Spongebob over just so someone can listen to what she has to say. When Sandy finished with her work she turned around to notice that something was up with Spongebob. He was in mid day dream so he didn't know that Sandy had finished her work. She had seen that look before, but not from him, she blushes a little bit but spoke up snapping him back into reality.

"Is there something on your mind Spongebob?" Asks Sandy.

"Oh um…"

He looks around the treedome and hoped that there was something that he could find that would start a good conversation.

"I was just thinking about… how your bird bath makes your treedome look complete."

Sandy shook her head at him, she was not easily fooled.

"But you were looking at me Spongebob."

Spongebob looks down at his shoes and blushes.

"I'm sorry… I didn't realize that I was.

There were a few moments of silence between them until finally Spongebob spoke up.

"So do you like the flowers that I got for you?" Asks Spongebob as he looks over at them.

"Oh yes… they're very pretty Spongebob." Says Sandy looking at them.

Spongebob thinks to himself: Not as pretty as you are.

The love struck look returns.

Sandy thought this was kind of cute, but she thought to herself: There he goes again, with that cute love struck smile of his. What am I doing? This situation just keeps getting worse and worse. How do I tell him that I have a boyfriend back in Texas? Sure we might not see each other that much, but I knew him before I even moved to Bikini Bottom. There is no way that I'm in love with Spongebob. (She thought lying to herself) I'm already in a relationship and if I'm not careful, Spongebob might want to start a relationship with me. I know that look… he's in love with me, and there is still the possibility that I could be in love with him. I can't do this… there is a guy back in Texas that loves me, and I'm not the cheating type. (She sighs to herself) If Spongebob wants to start something… I'll just have to let him down easy.

She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice what Spongebob was doing. What he was about to say and do wasn't exactly easy for him, but he finally gains the courage to walk over to her and reaches for her hand. The sound of his voice broke her train of thought.

"Sandy… I've been thinking."

"About what?" Asks Sandy.

"About you and me… Sandy we have been friends for quite some time… but sometimes overtime things change. I don't know about you, but thinks have changed for me. Well let's see if there is an easier way to put this… (He blushes) Over the years that I've known you… I feel like there is this… connection between us. Our friendship… it means everything to me and over the years I feel like we have grown close, but not as close as I feel right now." (He smiles a little bit while looking at their hands.)

Sandy blushes and slowly let go of his hand. She noticed the small hint of sadness that came over him when she did that. It was time for her to tell him what she was afraid of telling him.

"Spongebob… I think I know what you are trying to do, and I feel terrible… (She says while looking down at the ground.) I should have told you this a long time ago, but I didn't think that you felt that way towards me."

"What are you… trying to say?" Asks Spongebob with a look of concern and sadness.

"I never wanted it to be like this, but I think that it is time that you know that… (She tears up a little bit as she says this.) I have a boyfriend back in Texas… I met him… long before I met you." (A few tears started to fall from her eyes. She couldn't even look at Spongebob because she knew that he must be upset.)

Not only was he in complete shock, but this sent his whole world crashing down. He was mostly say, but there was a touch of anger in his voice as well.

"So all of this time that… I've loved you and I think… even for a minute that you might love me… (A tear rolls down his face) It was all a lie and that you loved someone else all along."

He starts to head to the door angry, sad, and confused.

"Wait Spongebob! Please let me explain." Says Sandy as more tears fall.

He stops, but doesn't look back at her.

"Yes I loved someone else before I moved here, but I had no idea that you loved me back. Listen over the years as… my relationship with him died down a little… I think I might have started to have feelings for you, but this whole situation is so… confusing. I don't know what to do Spongebob… I never meant to hurt you, I'm not the cheating type of person, and if there was any way to fix this I would." Says Sandy.

Spongebob takes a breath and calms down now that he heard what she had to say, but he still did not turn around to face her.

"If you want to fix it… you have to make a choice Sandy. Who is going to be your friend and who is going to be something more?"

After that Spongebob had said all that he was going to say and listened to all that he was going to hear and walked out of the treedome leaving Sandy alone to think.

I am not a cheater… I just got caught up in a bad situation. Spongebob is right… I have to make a choice… Who I want to have a relationship with, and who I want to be friends with… I just hope I can make the right choice…

As Sandy walks inside her phone starts to ring. She picks it up and is surprised by who is on the other end… It was her mom calling her, but unfortunately she was not calling with good news.

(To be continued)


	2. Chapter 2

**Right Choice**

**(Chapter Two)**

Once Spongebob got home he was in a state of mixed emotions. Gary was eating his lunch, and when he heard the door slam he was startled. Then his moment of fear turned to concern as he watched his owner walk up the stair to his room. Spongebob was faced down on his bed which meant that he was upset about something. Gary wanted to do something to cheer him up so he went up to Spongebob and purred for a moment, then meowed.

Meow.

"Not now Gary… I don't want to talk about it."

Meow.

"I know you want to help, but I want to be left alone right now."

Meow.

"Fine… I'll tell you, but I don't think it will make me feel much better."

Spongebob sat up and wiped his face, Gary could tell that he had been crying because his eyes were red.

"It's… just so hard for me to talk about it… I mean I always thought that Sandy and I had something special you know?"

Meow? Gary didn't really know what he was talking about.

"We have been friends for years… then when I finally get the courage to tell her how I feel… she tells me that she has a boyfriend in Texas and that they have been together before Sandy and I even met. You don't know what that does to someone with a fragile heart… It breaks them down, it literally hurts Gary, I'm having chest pains just thinking about this… can we please not discuss this ever again?" Asks Spongebob as he starts to tear up again.

Meow. Gary could tell that he needed some alone time so he slithers out of the room leaving Spongebob alone.

"The sooner I forget about Sandy the better, when that happens… maybe the pain will go away.

(End Flashback)

(Present Day)

On the day that her mom called her with bad news she was devastated. It had been two weeks ago, but she still remembered it like it just happened. Her mom had told her that her dad had cancer and that he wasn't expected to live long. Not only was she having relationship and friendship issues, but she was now having a family issue. As much as she wanted to leave to go see him, she was also afraid of the condition she would find him in. She then started to think about Spongebob, he was usually there when she needed someone to talk to, but one of the issues that she had involved him. She knows how Spongebob gets when she has to leave town, she thought about the current situation, if she left it would break his heart, but then again she had probably already done that. Still she needed to talk to somebody, and she really wanted to speak to him. It had been two weeks since she had seen Spongebob, he left so upset she thought that he would never want to talk to her again, he probably hated her at this point. She didn't blame him really after all he had pretty much given his heart to her and it was like she ripped it in half. She couldn't take it anymore, she needed to hear his voice so she picked up the phone and dialed his number.

She then thought to herself: Oh right… he's probably at work… and even if he wasn't I don't think he would want to talk to me anyway.

Surprisingly enough as this thought went through her head someone on the other end picked up the phone, however the voice did not sound too happy.

"Hello… Squarepants residence, Spongebob speaking."

She almost cried at the sound of his voice, not only by the fact of how he sounded but also because she had not heard his voice in two weeks.

"Spongebob… I… I know you may be feeling upset with me right now, but something terrible has happened… and I really need someone to talk to."

He could hear pain in her voice; most of his pain seemed to melt away just hearing her voice. He grows a little concerned about the issue and was trying to decide on whether or not to come over. Sandy didn't hear anything on the other end and thought that maybe he hung up.

"Spongebob… are you still there?"

"Yeah… I'm still here."

"It's been two weeks since we've seen or talked to each other… We need to at least talk to each other… or our friendship could be at risk. If we are going to talk… I would much rather talk face to face. Our friendship means everything to me too Spongebob and I don't want it to end this way."

There were a few moments of silence on the phone until finally Spongebob spoke up.

"I'll be right over."

He hangs up the phone and Sandy felt a little bit of a relief because Spongebob was at least going to talk to her again.

Since it had been two weeks Spongebob has had some time to think things through.

Even if Sandy doesn't love me… that still doesn't mean that I can't love her. Whether we are in a relationship, or whether we are just friends it doesn't matter… I will still always love her. I've made a choice… if you are friends with me you are friends for life. She needs me right now… and even though it still hurts a little to think about her… I think I'm making the right choice by going over to see her.

A few minutes go by, and right before he enters her treedome he puts on his water helmet and knocks on the door. Sandy answers the door just a few moments later. Neither of them really had a look of happiness or sadness on their face, neither one spoke a word as he entered. They both kind of looked at each other trying to find out how the other person is feeling and both were waiting to see who would speak first. Sandy finally decided that things were too quiet for too long and finally spoke up…

(To be continued)


	3. Chapter 3

**Right Choice**

**(Chapter Three)**

Both Spongebob and Sandy looked at each other trying to find a hint of emotion in the other person. Sandy couldn't take the silence anymore and decided to speak up.

"Spongebob… I know it's been a while since we have seen each other, or talked face to face, but I really needed someone here. There is no one else that I can really talk to down here, no one else I want to talk to. I'm sorry about how things went last time… I don't know what you are feeling right now, but you're the only real friend I have down here."

Sandy said all that she could think of, she waits for him to say something back to her. She didn't know if he would be angry or sad with her, or if he had forgotten all about it. She wondered if he would say anything at all, she didn't know what else to say to him. Finally Spongebob looked at her in the eyes and said something to her.

"On the phone… you said that there was something important that you wanted to talk about."

Sandy smiles because he had finally talked to her, but her smile quickly faded because it was not good news that she was about to share with him.

"Oh… it's kind of an issue involving my dad. He's back in Texas, but he is not doing too well."

"What's wrong with him?" Asks Spongebob.

Sandy could feel her usual tough girl attitude slipping away. Her dad could pass away at any time and she may not get to see him again, but then again there was an issue with her leaving Bikini Bottom too. That was Spongebob; she still didn't know what to do about their current situation. She didn't know if she would ever come back, and that would break Spongebob's heart for sure if she had not already done that. She could feel the sadness continuing to build up inside, just as her eyes began to water she turned her head away from him. The last thing she wanted to happen would be for him to see her cry, she hated it when she cried because it made her feel weak. Spongebob knew something was wrong, because she only cried when it was really a serious situation. He felt bad for her and he walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder wanting to comfort her.

Strangely enough Sandy did not pull away; she actually liked the comforting feeling of his hand on her shoulder. Sometimes, but not very often they would hug each other; both of them wanted that comforting hug where they would be in each other's arms. Sandy wiped some of the tears out of her eyes and turned back to face him. The look on his face was a look of concern; she was hesitant at first but turned around to face him. At that moment it seemed like they both knew what to do, they wrapped their arms around each other and hugged the best way that they could since Spongebob had a water helmet on. Both of them were not happy because the water helmet kept them from a full hug. Then Sandy realized something; she looked over to where she was planting her garden and remembered that she had a sprinkler system installed so that she wouldn't have to water her garden with a hose.

Sandy had let go of the hug for a second much to Spongebob's disappointment, but when Sandy motioned for him to follow her he did. He watched her as she walked over to the far side of her treedome and watched her reach to the ground. He was confused at first, but then saw what was going on, Sandy turned on her sprinklers then he realized that he could take his helmet off. It was not a soaking kind of sprinkler, but a misting sprinkler; it would keep the air in the treedome moist enough so that Spongebob does not have to wear a water helmet. Another thought occurred to him; if he wanted to make a move, this was his chance. He thought again… this was probably not the best time. Not only had Sandy told him that she already had a boyfriend, but there was some kind of problem with her dad and she was probably sad and confused.

He was curious as to what was going on with her dad, but was more concerned about how Sandy was feeling. Talking about it would probably make her feel worse; he wanted to do something that would make her feel happy again. He wanted to hug her again, but they had kind of already moved past that. It felt good to breathe in the moist air, but most of all he could see Sandy clearly for the first time since he had first came to her treedome. He could see her clearly without the helmet fogging up when he blushed; only now if he blushed it would be a whole lot more noticeable. Sandy went to sit down at her picnic table; she must have started crying again. Spongebob walked over there only to see her with her arms and head on the table. He placed his hand on her shoulder again and grew more concern.

"Sandy… I know you may not want to talk about it, but… I'm starting to worry about you."

It took her a few moments for the words to sink in, but then she remembered why she invited him over in the first place. She sighed, and wiped her eyes again; Spongebob kept his hand on her shoulder which was a comforting feeling.

"It's ok Sandy… it's ok to cry sometimes, you don't have to be ashamed or embarrassed. I'm here to help."

She looked up at him. Once he said here to help she saw a small smile on his face, which made her smile a little. He reached out his hand to her to help her up; she grabbed it and stood up. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"Well… before my… breakdown I was going to tell you about my dad. I just don't know if you will want to stick around to hear it."

"I'm not going anywhere… I won't leave until I help you. Just relax… Say what you need to say." Says Spongebob.

Sandy smiles at him, she couldn't believe that after what happened that he would be willing to listen to her. No one had ever paid this much attention to her so much or cared about her this much not even her boyfriend back in Texas. That is a story for another chapter, but right now let's focus on this chapter.

"Well… I told you that my dad was not doing too well. What's got me so emotional is… he has cancer Spongebob. My mom told me… he's not expected to live much longer."

Sandy stopped right then and there. She couldn't say anything else, she started to cry again. Spongebob was shocked, he knew what it was and knew how she felt. He wrapped his arms around her to hug her again, this time they could hug the right way since Spongebob no longer had a helmet on.

"I'm so sorry Sandy… I had no idea. I want you to know that I know how you feel… one of my uncles currently has cancer too."

"I didn't know that… How do you manage to go around looking so happy when there is a situation like this?" Asks Sandy.

"That's just the thing Sandy… it's just a look. Sure I may look happy, but that doesn't mean that I feel happy."

"Spongebob… that is not the only thing bothering me."

"Well… I can stay for as long as you need me to. What else do you need to tell me?" Asks Spongebob

They both let go of the hug.

"I know… that… when I leave town a lot you always get upset. One time I only left town for two days and you about lost it."

Spongebob blushed because he knew that it was true.

"What's been on my mind is the question on if I should leave. I really want to go check on my dad, but I know how you get when I have to leave. I don't know how long I will be gone, or if I will be back at all. I wanted to ask you; what do you think I should do Spongebob?" Asks Sandy

Spongebob sighs to himself and remembered something that his dad told him once. He still wasn't sure about how things were between him and Sandy, but he loved her no matter what. His dad's advice to him was if you love someone set them free. This would be the hardest thing that Spongebob would ever have to do. It was going to be hard for Spongebob to let her go especially if she never comes back, but he knew what had to be done.

"I think… you should go see him."

Sandy couldn't believe that he just said that.

"Are you sure Spongebob?"

"Yes Sandy… go see him, he needs you."

She couldn't believe how well he was taking this. He was willing to let her go; usually he would beg her not to go which annoyed her. She felt like she was starting to love Spongebob more than she did her boyfriend back in Texas. She wasn't exactly sure how her relationship was with her boyfriend, after all it had been months since they have seen each other, but there was a dark side of the relationship that she was keeping to herself. She talked about all that she needed to, Spongebob went home. That night Sandy packed up all of the stuff that could fit in her suitcase and was going to leave the next day. She couldn't help but think of Spongebob, he comforted her when she needed it the most. Her boyfriend wouldn't have done that; her relationship with her boyfriend wasn't exactly the best.

She knew that she wanted to go to Texas to check up on her dad, but she was sure that she would see her boyfriend there. She knew she still had a choice to make, but it was a choice that she was afraid to make. She didn't want to relive her past; she didn't know how her boyfriend would take it. He wasn't as kind and understanding like Spongebob was. Sandy had all of her stuff packed up and was almost ready to leave; only something didn't seem right. She felt a strong sadness come over her all of a sudden she didn't feel right leaving Spongebob. Sure she talked to him about it, but the way that he was actually willing to let her go still amazed her. Then again she expected Spongebob to come in at the last minute and beg her not to go. In a way that is what she wanted him to do because deep down she wasn't so sure that she wanted to leave.

It was as if something was keeping her here. That something was more like someone; she had all of her stuff packed, but she just couldn't walk out the door yet. She usually didn't like saying goodbye to people because she didn't like sad and painful goodbyes, but it would be even more painful if she left without saying goodbye to Spongebob. Then Sandy realized something… he probably wouldn't be coming over because today was Monday and he had to work on Mondays. Sandy walked to the door with her head down; she realized that leaving Bikini Bottom might actually be harder on her than it would be on Spongebob. Just as she was about to reach for the door there was a knock on her door. She opened the door and was surprised to see Spongebob, since he was usually at work around this time. She was actually happy to see him because she secretly hoped that he would talk her out of leaving.

"Spongebob… I thought you were at work."

"That can wait… sometimes there are more important things or more important people than just work. You didn't think I would let you leave without saying goodbye now did you?"

"Oh right… so that's the only reason why you came?" Asks Sandy.

"Well… your dad needs you right now, and if I remember correctly you told me that you already had a boyfriend. I know I usually try to stop you from leaving, but it wouldn't be right for me to stop you from seeing those you care about. Even if it is hard for me to see you go… it's even worse seeing you here and being unhappy. As long as you are happy then I'm happy."

Sandy remembered that she had her sprinklers on. She was kind of glad she left them on because once Spongebob finished talking he hugged her again. She didn't really know what to say but she was starting to have second thoughts about leaving. She hugged him back but started to cry a little. Spongebob noticed this and was confused again.

"Why are you crying Sandy?"

"Because I don't want to leave you Spongebob."

"We already talked about this… I'll be ok Sandy. You should go see your dad."

Sandy could feel it building up inside of her, she just wanted to scream at the top of her voice that she loved him but now was not the best time. She knew that she had to leave, and she knew that her boyfriend in Texas would not be happy when she broke the news to him that she loved someone else. Spongebob grabbed her hand and told her again that everything would be ok. Last time he held her hand she pulled away from him, but this time she allowed it.

"Will you walk with me to the bus stop?" Asks Sandy.

"Of course."

Sandy picked up her suit case with one hand and with the other hand held Spongebob's hand. They made it to the bus stop and waited a few minutes for the bus to come. When it finally arrived they said their final goodbyes and hugged one last time. Spongebob stood there trying to put on a smile as he watched Sandy leave, Sandy put on a strong face to keep from crying again. She didn't know if she would ever see Spongebob again, but as the bus left Spongebob's happy face disappeared and he burst into tears. Before the bus was out of sight she could see Patrick there with him trying to comfort him. Then Sandy's strong face broke down. Seeing Spongebob upset made her upset and she started to cry too. It was a long journey back to Texas and as the journey continued she finally stopped crying, but her mind was on Spongebob the whole time. She was going to see her dad in a poor condition, and she would have to be brave and confront her boyfriend. Of all the choices that she had ever made in her life… leaving Spongebob had to have been one of the worst ones.

(To be continued)


	4. Chapter 4

**The Right Choice**

**(Chapter Four)**

After Sandy's long depressing trip she finally arrived in Texas. Once she got home she was greeted by her mom and boyfriend. She was happy to see her mom but surprised to see her boyfriend.

"Hi mom I'm so happy to see you." Says Sandy as she gave her mom a hug.

"I'm happy to see you too Sandy."

"How is dad doing?"

"Not very good Sandy… if he doesn't get the surgery that he needs, we could lose him." Sandy's mom tears up a little.

Sandy cried a lot on her way here so she wasn't about to cry anymore, she had to be strong for her mom's sake. She hugged her mom again and walked with her back to their tree.

"You told me that you had enough money so that he could get the surgery." Says Sandy.

"Yes, but you know your father and his stubborn pride. He doesn't see how bad the problem really is, but the doctor told me otherwise. Your father still thinks that he is as strong as an ox, maybe he just doesn't understand the situation."

"I came back so that I could stay for a while; I don't know how long I will stay, I've spend so many years in Bikini Bottom that I feel like I'm starting to belong there.

Then Sandy's boyfriend speaks up.

"Of course you don't belong there; you're the only land creature living there. You know that your real home is here with us." Says Danny.

Sandy's mom just went into another room so that Sandy and Danny could have their alone time.

"I've missed you Sandy, it's been months since I've seen you, but I'm glad that you finally decided to come back to me." Says Danny.

"I didn't come here just to see you. I mostly came because I'm concerned about my dad. I was surprised when I saw you, how did you know that I was coming back home?"

"Your mom told me, she knew that I would be happy to see you so she invited me over today."

"Ok, well I guess I better go upstairs and unpack my stuff."

"How about a hello kiss first? After all it has been months since I've seen you Sandy."

Sandy knew better than to say no because when Danny didn't get what he wanted he would become angry and aggressive. It was not something that she was looking forward to because usually his breath smelled of cigarette smoke and alcohol. But out of fear and routine she kissed him anyway, it was a quick kiss and she was on her way. As she walked down the hallway she spotted her dad lying on the couch in the living room. She wanted to go talk to him and see how he was doing, but she knew that he needed his sleep. He was a hard worker and a heavy sleeper so she probably would have a hard time getting him awake. She sighed and continued on her way to her room.

It took her about thirty minutes to unpack; later on she sat down on her bed and sighed thinking about a number of things. Her dad being one of them, also the fact that she still had to make a choice on if she should tell Danny about how she felt about Spongebob. She was scared to tell him because other times that she tried to break up with him he would become violent. Not only did it scare her, but the physical abuse made her change her mind. Of course this was way before she learned karate; she knew that if she wanted to she could lay out the hurt on him. She hasn't had a violent issue in about five years, that's because she was afraid to break up with him. She was now an expert in karate, but she wondered if that would be enough to protect herself from him. She still had that fear inside of her; it was because of him that she decided to learn karate in the first place, not for revenge but to protect herself.

Sandy knew that she was in love with Spongebob, and that the only reason why she was still with Danny was because she had been afraid of him for so long. Danny came upstairs wondering what was taking Sandy so long; he saw her in her room just deep in thought and was a little upset because she was up here instead of spending time with him.

"Hey Sandy did you get everything unpacked?"

"Oh yes I did… I was just up here thinking to myself."

He walks in and closes the door.

"How are you feeling?" Asks Danny.

"I'm feeling a little better now that I've had some time to think."

"Well that's great Sandy. Now how about we do something together to celebrate you coming home."

He walks over to her and sits down beside her on her bed. She felt uncomfortable about this so she got up and walked over to her old TV to turn it on.

"I wonder if there is anything on TV?" Asks Sandy nervously.

"Oh come on Sandy it seems like you don't want to do anything with me anymore."

"Maybe there is a football game on, maybe your Dallas Cowboys are playing tonight." Says Sandy trying to change the subject.

"It's Wednesday night, there are no football games on Wednesday."

"Well… maybe there is something else on." Says Sandy as she flipped through the channels.

Danny starts getting frustrated and takes the remote out of Sandy's hand and turns the TV off.

"This is ridiculous Sandy… I don't want to watch TV."

"Then what do you want to do?" Asks Sandy yelling back at him.

"This."

He pins Sandy down on her bed by her shoulders and kisses her, and it wasn't like Sandy's quick hello kiss. He did this repeatedly; Sandy couldn't stand this, she smelled his cigarette and alcohol breath and it was just plain wrong. She gathered up all the strength that she could and pushed him off.

"Stop it Danny! You know I hate it when you smoke and drink."

He laughs at this mostly because Sandy raised her voice at him.

"You know that trying to push me away only makes me want you more. What's gotten into you Sandy?"

"Courage… I won't be afraid of you anymore, and I don't want to be with you anymore! I was never in love with you anyway… it was fear that made me stay with you. Now I've found someone that I really love, and I'm not afraid anymore. Spongebob is there for me when I need him, and he listens to what I have to say, but most importantly… He's not mean and abusive like you are. I'm not living like this anymore Danny; it's over between us now and forever."

She was about to open her door to leave when Danny loses it and slams her against the wall.

"Listen here Sandy… I've waited too long for you to come back to be with me, and I'm not planning on letting you just walk out on me like that!"

Luckily for Sandy her dad had woke up a few minutes ago and heard the noise going on up stairs. He didn't even know that Sandy came home, with the noise that he heard he became concerned and ran upstairs.

"I'm sorry things didn't go the way you planned." Says Sandy.

Just before Danny slapped her in the face she quickly blocked it and picked him up. She flipped him over and threw him a few feet having him land through a table. Just then Sandy's dad came in.

"What happened?"

"Dad you're ok." Says Sandy hugging him.

"Of course… What's going on here?"

"Danny tried to hit me, but he was in for the surprise of his life."

She points over to the broken table with Danny lying unconscious over it.

"I'm proud of you Sandy, but once he wakes up, he will have to deal with me."

"Are you sure you can do it dad?"

"Now you listen here missy… I may be old, but I can still whip people's butts when they deserve it."

"But what about your condition?" Asks Sandy.

"What condition I'm as healthy as an ox."

"That's not what mom said."

Her mom happened to be walking by and heard the conversation.

"I can explain that…"

After a few minutes of explaining things every came together.

"So what you're saying is… Danny was threatening you and made you come up with a lie that would bring me back to Texas?" Asks Sandy.

"Yes and I felt terrible about it too, but he threatened that he would kill me if I ever told you the truth."

"So you don't have cancer dad?" Asks Sandy.

"No. I'm perfectly fine, but I'm happy that you were brave enough to stand up to him."

"Well I've been afraid of him for too long and I've decided that enough is enough. I wasn't going to take it anymore."

A little bit later Danny finally wakes up and is planning on beating Sandy, but then his mood of anger changed to fear once Sandy and her dad saw him wake up. He was scared of Sandy's dad; he was a tall and strong looking squirrel.

"What is this I hear about you hitting my daughter?"

"Oh um… that was a long time ago, and that was by accident there is no way that I would ever do it on purpose." Danny said lying trying to get out of there.

"Then how come she's suffered from years of stress and fears that only happens around you?"

"Uh… coincidence."

Sandy gives him a sly smile and a fair warning.

"You better run boy."

He does just as he was told. He runs out of their house as long as he could until he was out of sight. Once he was out of the house Sandy yelled:

"Don't ever come back!"

Once she was sure that he was gone for good she hugged her parents.

"So now what?" Asks Sandy's dad.

"Are you going to stay with us for a while?" Asks Sandy's mom.

Sandy thought about everything that had happened over the last two weeks. She remembered that Spongebob just about told her his feelings. At that moment in time she was shocked because he just about told her that he loved her. Only she told him that she was dating someone else. Still after those two weeks Spongebob still came over when she needed him. She was tricked into coming back to Texas because she thought that her dad had cancer. It turned out that was a lie; everything was set up by Danny. She found her courage and told him about Spongebob, she was in love with him. She made a brave move by breaking up with him, but still after all of this time her mind still went back to Spongebob, and her mom's words of wisdom.

"Mom I'm glad to see you and dad again and you know I love you guys, but I can't stay here. My heart belongs somewhere else, or to someone else I should say and that someone is not here. After all mom you always said home is where the heart is."

"I understand Sandy, just come and visit us sometime ok."

"I will mom, but I can stay for tonight; tomorrow I'll need to pack up and get back to Bikini Bottom as soon as I can." Says Sandy.

Her mom looked over at a picture that Sandy brought of Spongebob.

"Is this a picture of your friend Spongebob that I've heard so much about?"

"Yes. He's my best friend." Says Sandy smiling and blushing a little bit.

Her mom notices this and says:

"He's pretty cute… I can see why you would want to go back."

"Mom…" Sandy says blushing.

"Is that the guy that you like?"

"Yes and I think that he used to like me."

"Used to?"

"Yeah… He was going to tell me how he felt, but I kind of told him that I was dating Danny, and since I left… he probably hates me now."

"If he really loves you and if he is your best friend… I think he will love you no matter what."

"You really think so mom?"

"Sure, but you should probably get back to him as soon as possible."

"Thanks mom."

Sandy packs up a few things before she got tired. She packed up as much as she could. She wouldn't have much more to pack up in the morning so she went to bed hoping that her mom was right about Spongebob.

(To be continued)


	5. Chapter 5

**The Right Choice**

**(Chapter Five)**

The next morning Sandy woke up and remembered what she had to do. She finished packing up her stuff, said goodbye to her parents and got on a bus that was headed back to Bikini Bottom. What she didn't know was that Danny was already on his way to Bikini Bottom, he was planning on getting revenge for what she did to him. Sandy mentioned Spongebob's name, even if Danny didn't know what he looked like he could find Spongebob based on his name.

"So Sandy thinks she can leave me for this… Spongebob guy? She's got another thing coming; the only way for me to be with her is if I get rid of this Spongebob fellow. She's going to pay for what she did to me; she'll never even know I was there. I would be getting back at her mentally as well as emotionally, that's the best revenge of all."

Sandy was on her way back to Bikini Bottom thinking about Spongebob, she had always had some feelings for Spongebob, but she was just now realizing the truth. She was in love with him, in a way she was happy and excited to be coming back to Bikini Bottom, but also nervous because after all Spongebob had been through with her coming back he would probably think that she was playing with his emotions. It was a little over two and a half weeks ago that Spongebob was about to tell her how he felt. Because of her fear of Danny she told him that she was with someone else before he could tell her. Then she leaves him again; Sandy thought that surely Spongebob must hate her for all that she has put him through, but then she remembers what her mom said. If Spongebob was really her friend and if he really loved her, then he would love her no matter what.

Meanwhile Spongebob was back in Bikini Bottom (In the diner we saw him in the episode Missing Identity.) He was sitting at a table just thinking to himself, the same waitress and guy were also there. The weather outside only made him feel worse as he was telling them about his story with Sandy, this time they felt sorry for him since it was a real situation.

"Right now I'm still wondering on if I made the right choice of letting her go. I knew that if she stayed here she would be unhappy. All I wanted was her to be happy, but at what cost? She's gone now and it feels like she's taken a part of me with her. Right now the weather outside represents how I'm feeling, if I were outside in the rain no one would even notice me cry. Even if the sun were to come back out today or tomorrow, I still probably wouldn't feel happy for a long time. I'm usually a happy guy, but I've lost something, or someone I should say that meant everything to me. Her name is Sandy… she just left me, but not only that, but she took something from me, my happiness. As she left I couldn't hide my sadness anymore, she left and took my happiness with her."

"But do you still love her?" Asks the waitress?

"Of course I do. I will always love her, but I will probably never be happy again unless I see her again. No one made me feel this way except for her; sure people will say that I will move on or find someone else, but there is no one like her. She cannot and will not ever be replaced; there is no one else that I will ever love except for her, even if I never see her again."

He gets up and walks out of the diner and sadly makes his way outside into the open rain.

"The poor guy… he lost someone that he really cared about, and I really feel bad for him because he came in and is walking back out again in the rain without an umbrella." Says the waitress.

"The poor guy…" Says the guy at the table.

As Spongebob is walking along until he comes across a stranger.

"Excuse me, but is your name Spongebob?"

"Yes that's me. Who are you?" Asks Spongebob sadly.

Spongebob noticed that this guy was a squirrel like Sandy and that he even wore a helmet.

"My name is Danny, I was Sandy's boyfriend."

"I see… she left Bikini Bottom to be with you. I guess you meant more to her than I ever would have." Says Spongebob.

"No you weren't listening… I said I was her boyfriend… that was until you came along. She moved down here and forgot all about me to be with you." Says Danny angrily.

"But she left a few days ago so that she could be with you and check on her dad." Says Spongebob.

"You don't get it do you… Sandy is on her way back here because she is in love with you instead of me, which is also why I'm here… with you out of the way Sandy will have no choice but to come running back to me."

Then he hits Spongebob in the face and pushes him down in the mud.

"Ha… Sandy broke up with me for you. You're just a weak little sponge; you can't even put up a fight."

Spongebob knew things were not going to end well; he wasn't as skilled as Sandy was in karate. He wasn't really the type of guy that would fight back especially considering his emotional state of mind. Spongebob gets up anyway and backs away slowly, but Danny comes charging at him; this time he hits Spongebob in the stomach. He sees a glass bottle and hits Spongebob in the head with it. Not only does this knock him unconscious, but blood also starts coming from his head. Luckily for Spongebob he hadn't gotten far from the diner that he was in and someone saw what happened. Also at the moment that Spongebob passed out Sandy had just arrived at the bus stop which wasn't too far from the diner. The waitress called for the police and an ambulance, a few guys that were in the diner came out and ran after Danny. After the waitress called for the police an ambulance she went out to Spongebob to see what she could do.

Sandy had just gotten off the bus when she saw the ambulance over at the diner; she knew that it wasn't really her business, but she became concerned anyway and wanted to help in any way possible.

"Excuse me miss, but could you tell me what happened here? Is there any way that I can help?" Asks Sandy.

"Well right now the ambulance is loading the poor guy in so I don't know if you could help or not. The poor guy came in here earlier, he's been here before. He talked about how he lost someone that he cared about, but how he still loved her. It is one of the sweetest stories that I've heard in years. He was on his way out the door and not much later some kind of muscular hairy creature came over and attacked him. The weird thing about it is he sort or looked like you."

Sandy started thinking in her head then more concern came over her.

"What did the guy that got attacked look like?" Asks Sandy.

"Oh he's a little fellow, he's got blue eyes, buck teeth, he wears a suit and tie, he's also yellow, square, and spongy."

Sandy's eyes started to water as she realized what happened.

"Oh no… that's Spongebob."

"You know him?" Asks the waitress.

"Yes. I'm probably the one he was talking about. I'm his best friend; I've got to get over to him."

The ambulance door closes and rushes off to the hospital. Sandy was too late to catch the ambulance, but rushes off after it. She then remembered the description of the guy that attacked Spongebob. She realizes that Danny had done this, but he was nowhere to be found. She has anger and hatred towards him, but for the most part she was filled with sadness and concern as she ran after the ambulance. She gets to the hospital not long after the ambulance does, but it would take a while for Spongebob to be put in a room so she was forced to wait in the waiting room for ten to fifteen minutes. Then she asks someone at the desk if she could go back to see him, the lady at the desk wasn't so sure if Sandy wanted to see him in the condition she was in so she gave her a warning.

"I know you must be concerned about your friend, but he is in critical condition as of right now. He has lost a large amount of blood from his head; I'm just trying to prepare you for what you might see."

Then a doctor comes into the room and he happened to be the doctor that was tending to Spongebob.

"Oh hang on here comes his doctor right now; you can talk to him about it." Says the lady at the desk.

"Excuse me doctor… but could you please tell me how my friend Spongebob Squarepants is doing?" Asks Sandy.

"Not to good miss… he has multiple wounds around his stomach area, but the worst part of it is the amount of blood that he has lost. I'm afraid that he might not make it; right now he has a thirty percent chance of pulling through. He would need blood donated if there is even a chance of saving his life. The only type of blood he could accept is type A+ or type O blood." Says the doctor.

"I'm type O, I can donate."

"I'm just saying that even if someone does donate, it still may not save his life." Says the doctor.

"Please you have to let me do this! We have to at least try… I love him." Says Sandy as a tear falls down her face.

"Well he would have a seventy percent chance after the donation so sure we will give it a shot." Says the doctor.

As Sandy prepares to give blood she is still worried about Spongebob, but also angry over the fact that Danny had done this. He had better hope that Sandy doesn't find him; she hoped that the police had caught up with him. Not that much later the Bikini Bottom crime report came on the TV. Many people in town already heard about this and were concerned about Spongebob.

"As of right now there has been an arrest in the attempted murder of Spongebob Squarepants. Right now I say attempted murder because as of right now Spongebob is being held in critical condition at the Bikini Bottom Hospital. The police chief says that they arrested Danny Burns at the scene of the crime. He is under the highest security watch in Bikini Bottom and has been given life in prison. We hope that Spongebob can pull through and make a speedy recovery." Says Perch Perkins.

After Sandy gives blood she asks to see Spongebob again.

"A life saving blood donor like you… sure you can see him but just try to keep it quiet he needs all the rest that he can get. Also be mindful about the condition that you are about to see him in." Says the doctor.

"I don't care about how bad he looks… I just need to see him." Says Sandy.

The doctor walks away so that she could have her time to see him. She walks in hearing the machine that he is hooked up to. His breathing was slow and short, but he was breathing that's all that mattered. She started crying because of how bad he looked, she should have listened to the doctor. Spongebob's head was all wrapped up, she could tell that his nose and mouth had been busted; he had a little bit of redness surrounding his eye. That would soon turn into a black eye; she also noticed that his arms were wrapped up too. He had been through so pain; she just wished that it would have been her instead of Spongebob. She had been beaten up by Danny before, but to see Spongebob like this… it was just too much. There was a chair near the bed, she sat down beside him and reached for his hand. She remembered at the treedome when he had reached for her hand she wouldn't let him. She knew that Danny didn't know about Spongebob until she said something about him.

This only made her feel worse because she knew that he was in here because of her. Not only had she put him through emotional pain, but since she told Danny about Spongebob she realized that she must have put him through physical pain too. She wouldn't have to worry about Danny bothering them anymore, but Sandy worried as to if Spongebob would pull through or not. She thought about how sad she felt when she thought her dad had cancer, she was kind of glad that was a lie. Now being here with Spongebob in a real life and death situation hurt her worse than when she was thinking about her dad. She thought about how sweet Spongebob had been when she needed him most. She thought about that warm feeling that she had whenever she was in his arms in a hug. She thought about everything they had ever been through, those were great memories. She just hoped that those memories wouldn't be the last between them. Not all of the memories they had were happy ones, but those were still better than the current situation. She could lose him and it was all her fault.

She soon found herself talking to him.

"I know this is crazy… I know you may not be able to hear me, but I just want you to know how sorry I am. I'm sorry for leaving you, but more than that I'm sorry that you're here because of me. If I had never left Bikini Bottom in the first place maybe you wouldn't be in this condition right now. If I had just let you tell me that you loved me… I should have said it back and maybe we could have been together right now. I don't know if you can hear me right now… but I'm going to say this while I can… otherwise I may never get the chance. I love you Spongebob and I don't want to lose you, I can't live without you. If you don't make it… I'll never love anyone else ever again because you're the one I really loved all these years not Danny. I only stayed with him because I was afraid of what he would do to me if I left him. I won't ever have to worry about him again. I just hope you can make it through this, so I can just tell you how sorry I am all over again."

Sandy still held Spongebob's hand with hers; she had been crying for so long that she soon became overwhelmed with sleepiness. The doctor was going to come in and tell her that visiting hours were over, but changed his mind when he saw her asleep beside Spongebob. Sandy had fallen asleep with her head on the rail that separated them still with Spongebob's hand in hers. Even in her sleep she was thinking about him, as words repeated in her head.

"Please… Don't leave me Spongebob… I love you."

(To be continued)


	6. Chapter 6

**The Right Choice**

**(Chapter Six)**

After a night full of sorrow and sadness Sandy heard something that woke her up. The rain from the previous night had ended and the sun had come back out. She had fallen asleep right beside Spongebob, the only thing that separated them was a bed rail; she fell asleep holding his hand. She woke up when she sensed movement; she moved her head and was surprised by what she saw. Spongebob was awake; she heard that he had lost so much blood that he might not have made it, but since she had given blood that could have saved his life. He was awake and had waited for her to wake up, He was happy to see her, but before he could say anything Sandy started her apologies all over again.

"Oh Spongebob you're awake. I'm so sorry for everything that has happened to you, first of all I never should have left, then when I come back I find out that my ex-boyfriend came here and attacked you. I'm so sorry Spongebob; you're in here because of me. I've put you through so much lately that I wouldn't be surprised if you hated me."

"Woah easy Sandy… everything is ok now. None of this was your fault, how were you supposed to know that this would happen. You don't have to apologize, and hate you? I could never hate you Sandy."

"Oh… Are you feeling any better Spongebob?"

"Oh sure, A whole lot better than yesterday; yesterday I was beaten to the point where I almost lost my life, but I didn't and it's because of you Sandy. I heard what you did for me and I'm thankful to you for that."

"I had to do something… giving blood might have been the only way of saving you. I'm just glad that you're ok. You still probably won't get to leave, at least not for a few days anyway. The doctors will make sure that your blood levels return to normal, and they will check all of your wounds to see if they are healing. I thought that I had seen the last of Danny in Texas. I thought I took care of him once and for all. I never thought he would come down here and do this. All of this happened just before I came back. Thankfully the Bikini Bottom Police Department caught up with him, now he is truly where he belongs… for all of the pain that he has caused me."

There were a few moments of silence in the room until Spongebob finally figured out the reason why Sandy turned him down a few weeks ago.

"It was more than just hurting me that he did to hurt you… he's hurt you in other ways too hasn't he Sandy?"

She just nods her head.

"Things like that can really mess with people's heads. You're so scared of saying no because you know that you will get hit or kicked, and called names that you just start doing what the other person wants you to do." Says Sandy.

"I had no idea Sandy… you must have been through so much more pain that what I went through."

"Not really, I learned fast to do what he says so that I didn't get hurt. Then later on I realized that I wasn't with him because I loved him, I was with him because I was afraid of what he would do to me if I broke up with him. So then later on throughout the years I met my karate teacher and he told me not to be afraid. I trained and learned how to defend myself in case he ever tried to hurt me. So when I went back to Texas I found out that my dad wasn't really sick. Danny threatened my mom; he made her lie to me so that I would come back to Texas. He tried to… make me do something that I didn't want to do, I told him to stop, but he kept on so then he started to raise his voice and just before he hit me… I grabbed him and threw him across the room. He landed right through a table so he was unconscious for a while. My dad is usually a heavy sleeper, but the noise woke him up. He didn't even know that I was home, so he checked up to see what the noise was. Then later on he told me that he wasn't sick and that I had been lied to. Danny has always been afraid of my dad because he's tall and strong so when Danny woke up to see my dad around he took off and I thought that was the last I would have to see of him. I could have stayed in Texas, but I realized something."

"What is that Sandy?"

"Well there is an old saying that home is where the heart is. Even though I was born and raised in Texas, and even though I had my family there something still didn't seem right. I was missing something… or someone I should say."

Spongebob being curious and naive wanted to know who this someone was.

"Who is this someone?"

"Well let's just say that this someone is who I'm very close to, and that he literally has a part of me with him."

Spongebob just sat there quiet for a moment, but Sandy laughs and realized that he wasn't putting two and two together.

"It's you silly. I think I've finally made the right choice by choosing to come back to Bikini Bottom even though I was already in Texas. I know that a few weeks ago you were trying to tell me something important, but I cut you off before you said it. I think I kind of knew what you wanted to say, but at the time I was afraid that Danny would find out about you, and well he did because you're here but finally after all of these years I made the right choice in choosing to say no to him and break up with him. I made the right choice by choosing to say hey I'm not going to live in fear anymore and I moved on, but most importantly… I made the right choice of who I want to be with."

She smiles at him and grabs his hand. Spongebob finally realized what Sandy meant and wanted to continue what he started those few weeks ago at her treedome.

"Sandy I think I know what you mean… We've been through some good times, and we've been through some bad times, but in the end it only brings us closer. I guess what I've really been trying to say is… I love you Sandy."

She gently reaches over and hugs him. She knew he was probably in pain so she couldn't hug him very tight, but she was still satisfied with the hug.

"I love you too Spongebob.

A few days go by and Spongebob is allowed to leave the hospital. Things had returned to normal, Sandy was in her treedome working, and Spongebob still worked at the Krusty Krab, but he tried to remember to go to see her before or after work whenever he could. He went over to her house one day and noticed something. He remembered that Sandy's treedome had sprinklers for her garden to save money. She usually had them turned on to keep the air in the treedome moist for him so he didn't really need his helmet anymore. He was happy about that because they were now closer than they had ever been, both physically and emotionally.

One Sunday when Spongebob didn't have to work he thought that he would pay Sandy a visit. They haven't really been out on a date, but they have been spending more time together. He goes up to her doorbell and rings it making sure to hide the flowers behind his back. Sandy opens the door and greets him with a smile.

"Howdy Spongebob, I'm glad you could make it today."

"Sure thing Sandy. I thought hey it's a beautiful day, why not go visit a beautiful girl?"

Right after he says this he pulls out the flowers and hands them to her.

"Aw… Spongebob you're too sweet."

She takes his hand and starts leaning towards him. Somehow he knew what to do and he leaned towards her. Right then and there they share their first kiss. It was a moment that neither of them wanted to end, but also one that they would never forget. Once the kiss ended they came together again, this time in a hug. As good as the kiss was they loved nothing more than being in each other's arms. Both of them enjoyed the warm feeling they had when they were together. They realized that as their relationship strengthened that they would have many choices to make in life. When it comes to life we all want to make sure that we make the right choice.

**(The End)**


End file.
